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NASA Probe Blasts 461 Gigabytes of Moon Data Daily
coondoggie writes "On its current space scouting mission, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is using a pumped up communications device to deliver 461 gigabytes of data and images per day, at a rate of up to 100 Mbps.
As the first high data rate K-band transmitter to fly on a NASA spacecraft, the 13-inch-long tube, called a Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier, is making it possible for NASA scientists to receive massive amounts of images and data about the moon's surface and environment.
The amplifier was built by L-3 Communications Electron Technologies in conjunction with NASA's Glenn Research Center. The device uses electrodes in a vacuum tube to amplify microwave signals to high power. It's ideal for sending large amounts of data over a long distance because it provides more power and more efficiency than its alternative, the transistor amplifier, NASA stated." It kills me that the moon has better bandwidth than my house.
Or would you like your internet connection to be served by a SUV carrying hard drives?
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a fedex truck packed with 250 lbs of hard disks!
Depending on the file size of what you would be downloading and with what technology, overnight shipping might STILL be better latency too!
Also, I'm almost sure he could get a 100 Mbps link to his house if he was willing to pay what NASA is paying for theirs. At least I don't think it would be much more expensive.
the point is that before you read it, did you know there was a TWT orbiting the moon withh 100Mbps bandwidth transferring over 400GB of data a day? if not, then you learned something new.
i wage a holy war against the apostrophe.
My question is why you need a vacuum tube in a vacuum? Just put the parts out in open space, save a bit of weight, no problem with the tube getting deposits on it over time, or thermal expansion and contraction stressing the tube, etc.